Rape accused Kerala bishop Franco Mulakkal’s photo features in church calendar

The calendar is published by the Catholicasabha, the mouthpiece of the archdiocese, every year.

The calendar is featuring pictures of all bishops hailing from the archdiocese, reports said.

Interestingly, the rape-accused bishop's picture has been printed in the month of March in the calendar.

It is also the birth month of Franco Mulakkal.

Official spokesperson of Kerala Catholics Bishops Council Fr Varghese Vallikkatt said he was not aware about the calendar.

“KCBC has not issued any directive to withdraw the calendar, " he told The Times of India.

Netizens criticise the move:

Several people have criticised the step of publishing the photo of the  rape accused former Jalandhar Catholic bishop on the calendar.

One Rosy tweeted: "Heart goes out to Poor Kerala Nun In a SHOCKING Display of Insensitivity & Callousness Catholic Diocese 2019 CALENDAR has the Mug shot of Rape Accused OUT ON BAIL Bishop Franco Mulakkal ! FEMINISTS & LIBERALS maintain PIN DROP SILENCE at this Glorification of a Rape Accused."

Another Varkey Joseph posted: "I am ashamed being Roman Catholic. Franco Mulakkal should be send to Andamans tribals. Ridiculous!!"

One Deepti Sachdeva remarked: "It's not about shielding him anymore, he's being rewarded!! Look closely. That's the rape accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal in Thrissur archdiocese calendar for 2019. #Reality #BREAKING."

Netizen Amit Kumar Singh tweeted: "Rape accused Bishop's photo on church calendar ! Catholic Church to oust senior priest of archdiocese Fr Augustine for attending a protest against rape accused Bishop ! And Left-Lib-Lutyens ecosystem is 'smashing' #BrahminicalPatriarchy."

Franco Mulakkal was accused of repeatedly raping a nun between 2013 and 2016. He was arrested in September and released three weeks later on conditional bail from a prison in Kerala He was welcomed by his supporters with rose petals and garlanded when he arrived in Jalandhar.

The nun, in a complaint in June, alleged that she was raped by Franco Mulakkal 13 times, during his visits to a convent in Kottayam. The bishop has denied the charges.

Franco Mulakkal gave up his pastoral duties at the Jalandhar diocese of the Missionaries of Jesus, weeks after the nun wrote to the Vatican.

Image: Twitter grab